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China in the Arctic

With Obama visiting Alaska, Beijing’s navy appears off the coast.

Sept. 3, 2015 7:37 p.m. ET

Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to visit the Arctic this week, but he wasn’t the only newcomer. Five Chinese naval ships also made an unprecedented appearance in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska—a high-profile signal ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington this month.

Not that U.S. officials are acting alarmed, with one telling the Journal, “I don’t think we’d characterize anything they’re doing as threatening.” For years China has been transforming its navy into a...